Sri Lanka It's Happening

November 17, 2005

According to Sri Lankan election laws campaigning has to stop 48 hours before the start of the election. During the two days prior to the election, candidates, their political parties and supporter can have Tv/Radio/print/web ads but they cannot do any other kind of promotional work.

During past elections, the outgoing president CBK invariably 'addressed the nation' during this last two days. Obviously the president is allowed to address the nation at any time, even though the president is a member of a political party and at times even a candidate. Equally obviously the president has used these opportunities to launch political broadsides at her opponents.

When the president addresses the nation in this manner, the candidates from the other party do not get an opportunity to answer back. Their right of reply is denied becase it happens at the eleventh hour.

If all the news that we have seen and heard is to be believed, CBK does not want her prime minister to suceed her as the president. That's the only possible reason that she chose not to address the nation this time around. The opposition candidate Ranil's supporters on the other hand were expecting the president to appear on TV and launch a broadside at the prime minister for a change. That too was not to be.

Posted by raditha at November 17, 2005 8:55 AM